Remembrance Day – 11 November 2012

For many reading this, Remembrance Day 11 November 2012 provides a time to pause for reflection and an ‘opportunity to honour those who gave their lives in the First World War. It is now a time to also to remember those who have died and suffered in more modern times – The National Archives newsletter’. The first Remembrance Day was held in 1919.

Recently, I decided to research some of my own family history. As it happens, I started to trace the details of my two military ancestors, two grandfathers who served in the British Army in the First World War. This interesting work turned up some fascinating insights into the lives of these two people who were never known to me.

Perhaps, you are interested also in finding out about a family member who served in the armed forces. The National Archives (TNA)in London holds collections comprising millions of documents, capturing more than a 1,000 years of British History, and including military service records. Many of these are available to view online as well as during a personal visit to TNA. Just some of the research material you can expect to find include:

medals and honours – The First World War medal index is a valuable resource for tracing an individual military ancestor

First World War nurses’ services records

First World War service and pension records

Staff at TNA are producing a series of blogs, the first of which is at My Tommy’s War, which you can follow and learn how you can use their records to research your own ancestors. For those who love history,and want to find out more this is a must.